Core Merge

Turn preparation into a breakthrough

Ordinary Build works on one sector. Core Merge opens a marked workspace across the fortress center, giving participating towers a shared board. Use the available moves to create the next research Core—then defend what you built.

1 · Know which towers participate

The cyan boundary marks the working area. The towers inside it keep their actual positions when the window opens; they are not gathered into a convenient starting arrangement. Towers outside the boundary remain in the fortress and cannot be swiped into this attempt.

The regular workspace is 4×4. Later, a 6×6 Center Assembly may become available. Read the boundary and preview shown for your current opportunity rather than assuming every tower on screen participates.

2 · Read the target, partners and moves

Target: the Core value you are trying to create. Your first breakthrough is 2048; later targets advance the Cure Project.

Partners: matching towers that can combine toward that target. Read whether they are inside the Core workspace or elsewhere in the sectors. Two partners in the fortress are not automatically two partners in this attempt.

Moves: your remaining swipes. Having enough material is not a promise of success: positions, matching pairs and the available moves all matter.

3 · Prepare before the window

Use ordinary Build to bring useful matching towers into the marked center. Plan a route for their merge, but check the defense you are leaving behind. A breakthrough is only useful if the fortress can protect it.

4 · Create the Core, then keep merging

Equal tiers merge into the next tier. When you create the target Core, the breakthrough is celebrated immediately. After collecting it, you return to the same workspace with your unused moves. You can continue merging toward the next target; the celebration does not grant a fresh move budget.

When the window ends, the resulting towers return to the fortress. Choose the offered Core Defense and prepare for the incoming attack. Creating a Core and securing its validation milestone are separate achievements. Read The Cure Project →

If you miss the target

Missing a Core Merge target is not itself Game Over. Your resulting board returns to the fortress and defense continues. Read the continuation message, prepare the center during ordinary Build, and try at a later scheduled opportunity. A missed attempt does not guarantee an immediate retry or a completed Core.

Your Core is still the same Core

The marked Research Core can slide and merge with an equal partner. Its identity follows the resulting upgraded tower. Another large tower does not automatically take its place.

If that active Core is destroyed, Game Over is triggered—even if other towers survive. Protect its health and approaches after the merge. A valid checkpoint can offer a free restore; paid or ad revival cannot bypass Core loss.

Read the two gameplay examples below

These development captures include the game’s own cyan boundary and CORE PARTNER labels. First, only one 1024 partner is inside the marked center. In the later view, both are inside—but they still need to meet through legal swipes. Read the board, not just the partner count.

Start Here → · The Cure Project → · Tower Evolution Gallery →

Development guide · Updated October 9, 2026. Describes the current development build. Screens, controls and availability may change before release.